sat up straighter. “What’d you hear?”
He swirled his wine. “Rumors.”
I regarded him warily. “What’ll it cost me?”
“Your company for dinner.”
“And?”
“And what?”
I frowned. “Having dinner with you is too easy.”
His grin flashed. “That a compliment?”
Damn, that smile ought to be classified as an illegal narcotic. “Jak.”
“Yah?” He sat there looking dangerous with those simmering dark eyes. The tight-shirt was unraveling along one shoulder, showing glimpses of roughened skin. I wondered how it would feel to run my hand under the cloth.
Get a grip, I told myself. And not on him. I loaded my plate with bubbles, a dish I vaguely remembered originated on the home world of some Ruby Dynasty queen. It all looked very round.
We ate in silence. Jak washed down his food with wine and relaxed in his chair, his goblet in one hand.
After he had watched me for a while, I put down my fork. “What?”
“A good-looking man sold some gems under the city,” he said.
I tensed. “Prince Dayjarind?”
“Don’t know. But these were genuine, the real biz, flaws and all. Worth a lot more than he got. Still brought him enough to buy a new ID.”
“When?”
“Four days ago.”
Four days ago, Dayj had left the palace. If he had immediately sold his jewels on the black market, he must have already had a connection with someone. “Know where he went?”
“Rumor says he tried to go offworld.”
“Tried?”
“Yeah. Tried.” No trace of Jak’s smile remained. “Man who looks that good will get himself sold if he isn’t careful.”
“Hell, Jak.” I felt cold. “What happened?”
“Don’t know. Just rumors. Some say he went offworld, others say he got heisted.”
“You can’t ‘heist’ a royal heir. Anyone in this city who sees this guy or hears his accent will know he’s a Majda.”
“Maybe. Maybe he’s worth the risk.” His voice hardened. “Trader Aristos would pay the moon for him.”
“Skolians don’t sell to Traders.”
“Offer anyone enough money and they’ll sell out.”
“Says who?”
“Don’t know.” He finished his drink. “Aqueducts are a big place. Especially the Maze. You can get lost in there.”
The Maze. I’d been there twice in the past ten years, and that was two times too many. It looked, though, like I’d be going again. I said only, “Thanks, Jak.”
He met my gaze. “Didn’t say anything.”
I speared a bubble with my fork. “Didn’t hear anything.”
Jak nodded to me. We ate for a few more minutes. Then he said, “You like the dinner?”
I knew he was asking about more than food. If I had any sense, I would say no. For some reason, instead I said, “Yah, I do.”
He gave me his should-be-illegal grin. “Thought you would.”
“Cocky tonight.”
“You like, Bhaaj.” When I snorted, he let go with that throaty laugh that had always been my undoing. It hadn’t changed, neither the sound nor its effect on me.
“Shouldn’t look at me that way,” he said.
“What way?”
“Like you want me for dessert.”
“In your dreams.” Or mine.
“Right, Bhaaj.”
I put down my fork. “I need to go. Got an appointment in the Maze.”
He spoke softly. “You’re scared. Of us.”
It flustered me when he was right. “Got to go.”
“For now.”
I knew what I should tell him: I had a job to do and when I finished, I was leaving Raylicon, assuming I was still breathing. I opened my mouth to tell him that and out came, “Yah. For now.”
His gaze smoldered. “Thought so.”
Gods. It was a good thing I had business in the Maze, because I didn’t trust myself to stay here.
* * *
Over the millennia, the aqueducts under Cries had bent under the weight of their age. Our ancestors built well, but five thousand years takes a toll on even the greatest architectural wonder. In one section, all that remained was a maze of half-blocked passages and caverns thick with mineral-encrusted outcroppings.
I followed a
He swirled his wine. “Rumors.”
I regarded him warily. “What’ll it cost me?”
“Your company for dinner.”
“And?”
“And what?”
I frowned. “Having dinner with you is too easy.”
His grin flashed. “That a compliment?”
Damn, that smile ought to be classified as an illegal narcotic. “Jak.”
“Yah?” He sat there looking dangerous with those simmering dark eyes. The tight-shirt was unraveling along one shoulder, showing glimpses of roughened skin. I wondered how it would feel to run my hand under the cloth.
Get a grip, I told myself. And not on him. I loaded my plate with bubbles, a dish I vaguely remembered originated on the home world of some Ruby Dynasty queen. It all looked very round.
We ate in silence. Jak washed down his food with wine and relaxed in his chair, his goblet in one hand.
After he had watched me for a while, I put down my fork. “What?”
“A good-looking man sold some gems under the city,” he said.
I tensed. “Prince Dayjarind?”
“Don’t know. But these were genuine, the real biz, flaws and all. Worth a lot more than he got. Still brought him enough to buy a new ID.”
“When?”
“Four days ago.”
Four days ago, Dayj had left the palace. If he had immediately sold his jewels on the black market, he must have already had a connection with someone. “Know where he went?”
“Rumor says he tried to go offworld.”
“Tried?”
“Yeah. Tried.” No trace of Jak’s smile remained. “Man who looks that good will get himself sold if he isn’t careful.”
“Hell, Jak.” I felt cold. “What happened?”
“Don’t know. Just rumors. Some say he went offworld, others say he got heisted.”
“You can’t ‘heist’ a royal heir. Anyone in this city who sees this guy or hears his accent will know he’s a Majda.”
“Maybe. Maybe he’s worth the risk.” His voice hardened. “Trader Aristos would pay the moon for him.”
“Skolians don’t sell to Traders.”
“Offer anyone enough money and they’ll sell out.”
“Says who?”
“Don’t know.” He finished his drink. “Aqueducts are a big place. Especially the Maze. You can get lost in there.”
The Maze. I’d been there twice in the past ten years, and that was two times too many. It looked, though, like I’d be going again. I said only, “Thanks, Jak.”
He met my gaze. “Didn’t say anything.”
I speared a bubble with my fork. “Didn’t hear anything.”
Jak nodded to me. We ate for a few more minutes. Then he said, “You like the dinner?”
I knew he was asking about more than food. If I had any sense, I would say no. For some reason, instead I said, “Yah, I do.”
He gave me his should-be-illegal grin. “Thought you would.”
“Cocky tonight.”
“You like, Bhaaj.” When I snorted, he let go with that throaty laugh that had always been my undoing. It hadn’t changed, neither the sound nor its effect on me.
“Shouldn’t look at me that way,” he said.
“What way?”
“Like you want me for dessert.”
“In your dreams.” Or mine.
“Right, Bhaaj.”
I put down my fork. “I need to go. Got an appointment in the Maze.”
He spoke softly. “You’re scared. Of us.”
It flustered me when he was right. “Got to go.”
“For now.”
I knew what I should tell him: I had a job to do and when I finished, I was leaving Raylicon, assuming I was still breathing. I opened my mouth to tell him that and out came, “Yah. For now.”
His gaze smoldered. “Thought so.”
Gods. It was a good thing I had business in the Maze, because I didn’t trust myself to stay here.
* * *
Over the millennia, the aqueducts under Cries had bent under the weight of their age. Our ancestors built well, but five thousand years takes a toll on even the greatest architectural wonder. In one section, all that remained was a maze of half-blocked passages and caverns thick with mineral-encrusted outcroppings.
I followed a
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